Table of Contents
The short answer
The official pages for public pest control in Abu Dhabi do not point to a municipality. They point to the Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre (ADPHC). Its pest control services page says that requests are made through the TAMM platform or by calling the Government Contact Centre on 800555 and choosing the Department of Health option, as published in October 2026. That is the answer to the question most people start with, which is what number to call.
The public service is a public health service. On the official pages it covers disease-carrying pests such as mosquitoes, flies and rodents, and dangerous ones such as snakes and scorpions, in public areas and, on request, at homes. The home-booking service on TAMM adds conditions: it is provided only within residential houses, it excludes commercial premises and several other kinds of property, and its nuisance-pest service, which is the one that lists German cockroaches, bed bugs, ants and termites, is for UAE citizens only.
Everything outside those limits falls to a private company: a named pest inside an apartment, an office or a shop, a treatment at an hour you choose, a follow-up visit. That is the work described on our pest control service page. IHR Dream Cleaning treats cockroaches, bed bugs, ants, rodents and flying insects in homes and offices, from AED 149 for a studio and AED 179 for a one-bedroom apartment, up to villas from AED 299.
Who runs public pest control in Abu Dhabi now
ADPHC announced on 6 May 2024 that public health pest control had moved under its mandate. The announcement on its website, still published in October 2026, says the responsibility was transferred from Tadweer, the Abu Dhabi waste management company, and that Tadweer continues to handle waste management. If an older article or a sticker in a lift sends you to Tadweer for pest control, that information predates the change. Treat any other number you are handed the same way, and check it against the official page before you call.
The centre's services page describes two things it does. One is routine: regular disease vector management in all public areas in Abu Dhabi. The other is on call: vector control services for residents on request. The same page says ADPHC issues and renews work permits for public health pest control activities, oversees pesticide management and handles licensing for commercial providers of public health pest control, with applications made through TAMM.
On TAMM, the government services platform, the service is called Book a Home Pest Control Service and the entity shown beside it is the Department of Health. So the body you deal with is a health authority, which explains the shape of the service: its first concern is pests that carry disease or put people in danger, not every insect that is a nuisance in a kitchen.
What the public service covers, in the words of the official pages
Two official sources set the scope, and it is worth reading them side by side. The ADPHC announcement gives the pests: disease-carrying pests such as mosquitoes, flies, rodents, ticks and others, and potentially dangerous pests such as snakes, scorpions, spiders and wasps. The TAMM page for Book a Home Pest Control Service gives the conditions for a visit to a home. What follows is what those pages said in October 2026. Check them again before you rely on any point, because a government service can change its terms.
| Question | What is published | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Who can request it | Citizens and residents, for public health pest control in residential areas | TAMM service page |
| Nuisance pests | Ants, termites, lizards, German cockroaches, ticks, fleas and bed bugs: citizens only | TAMM terms |
| Where | Only within residential houses | TAMM terms |
| Excluded | Commercial and industrial areas, private developer areas, investment establishments, public areas, farms, stockyards | TAMM terms |
| Documents | None required | TAMM service page |
| Cost | 'This service has no additional costs' | TAMM service page |
| Time shown | 8 working days | TAMM service page |
| Public areas | Regular disease vector management | ADPHC services page |
How to read those terms
Three points follow directly from the wording. First, an expatriate resident can request the public health service at home, but the nuisance-pest part of it is stated to be for citizens only. If the problem in an expatriate's home is German cockroaches behind the kitchen units or bed bugs in a bedroom, the published terms point to a private company.
Second, the home-booking service is for residential houses, and its terms exclude commercial and industrial areas. An office, a shop, a restaurant, a warehouse or a workshop arranges its own pest control.
Third, the exclusions name private developer areas and investment establishments, and the page does not explain either term. If you live in a community run by a developer, or in a building owned as an investment and let to tenants, do not assume in either direction. Ask the contact centre whether your address is covered, and ask your community or building management what pest control it already provides.
What the pages do not say
The official pages are short, and several things a household wants to know are not on them: how many visits a request includes, which rooms or outdoor areas are treated, whether there is a follow-up, what you must do to prepare, and how long to stay out of treated rooms. Ticks appear both in ADPHC's list of disease-carrying pests and in TAMM's list of nuisance pests. The ADPHC page says farms can contact the centre, while the TAMM home service excludes farms. None of this is a reason to distrust the service. It is a reason to ask those questions when you make the request, and not to rely on a summary written by anyone else, this one included.
How to request the public service
There are two published channels. The TAMM page sets out the online route in four steps, and the ADPHC page gives the telephone route.
- Log in to TAMM with UAE PASS.
- Submit the application. The terms make the applicant responsible for providing contact details, location information and the type of pest.
- Book a pest removal appointment.
- The visit takes place. The terms require a responsible person to be present at the residence while the service is provided.
By phone
The ADPHC page gives the Government Contact Centre number, 800555, and says to select the Department of Health option. Use the number from the official page itself, not one copied from a directory site or an old advertisement, since third-party listings are where out-of-date numbers survive.
What to have ready
Whichever channel you use, the request goes faster with the facts in hand. Know what the pest is, or have a photo of it. Know where it is: inside the house, in the garden, at the boundary wall, or in a public area outside. Have the location as a map pin as well as a plot or street address, because newer districts are not on every map. Be ready to say how long it has been going on and whether anyone has been bitten or stung. Keep any reference number you are given.
Pests in a public area or on the plot next door
Mosquitoes breeding in standing water on open land, flies around public bins and rodents on a vacant plot are not problems a household can fix or a private company can treat, because neither has any right to work on that land. The ADPHC page says requests concerning pests in residences, public areas and facilities are reported through TAMM or the helpline. The TAMM home-booking service itself excludes public areas, so when you call, say clearly that the source is outside your property and where it is.
A snake or a scorpion at a house is in ADPHC's published list of dangerous pests. Keep people and pets away from it, do not try to catch or kill it, and use the official channels. A bite or a sting is a medical matter first: get medical help at once.
What a private company handles
A private company's work begins where the public service's terms stop, and it is also the choice of many households that could use the public service but want something it does not offer. Three situations cover most bookings.
The first is a named pest established inside the home: small cockroaches breeding in the kitchen units, bed bugs in a bedroom, ants coming out of a wall, mice in a store room. These need an inspection of the rooms, a treatment aimed at the pest and its hiding places, preparation by the household beforehand and, for some pests, a second visit. Each has its own guide here, starting with household pests in Abu Dhabi, which sets out the signs of each pest and what you can manage yourself.
The second is timing. A private visit is booked for a day and an hour that suit you, and for an active infestation a same-day visit is often available with us, depending on the schedule. If you have found bed bugs tonight or a restaurant has an inspection tomorrow, a service whose page shows a time in working days is not the tool for that job.
The third is property the public home service excludes: offices, shops, restaurants and other commercial premises. Treatment for a business can be scheduled outside working hours, and a place with constant pressure, such as a shop beside food outlets, often does better on a regular schedule than on a call each time something is seen.
What our visit includes
Our visit runs in five steps. You describe the problem when you book. The technician inspects the affected areas and the likely entry points to confirm the pest and how far it has spread. A treatment is applied to the areas and the pest the inspection identified, using products approved for the type of property. You are told what was found, what was treated and what to change. If the case needs a repeat visit, as bed bugs usually do, that is explained before the work starts.
In an apartment the treatment is scoped to your unit, with attention to shared walls and the entry points common in towers. In a villa it usually takes in the accessible outdoor areas as well, because that is where the pests come from. The price starts from a published figure for the size of the home and is confirmed with the pest before the visit; what moves it is explained in pest control prices in Abu Dhabi.
Apartments: your flat and the building are two different jobs
A private company booked by a resident treats the inside of that resident's flat. The shafts, the bin room, the rubbish chute, the car park and the corridors are common areas, and treating them is for the building's management or owners' association to arrange. If cockroaches or rodents are coming from those places, report it to the management in writing at the same time as you book your own treatment, and ask what pest control the building has in place.
Whether the landlord or the tenant pays for treatment inside a rented home is decided by the tenancy contract. Read the maintenance clause, and ask the landlord in writing if it is unclear. We do not state a rule here because the contract in front of you is what counts.
Who handles what: common situations
The table applies the published terms to the situations people most often ask about. Where the terms leave room for doubt, the first call is to ask.
| Situation | First call | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Mosquitoes or flies breeding in a street or open plot | Public service | ADPHC manages disease vectors in public areas |
| A snake or scorpion at a house | Public service | On ADPHC's list of dangerous pests |
| Rodents on open land or around public bins | Public service | Rodents are in ADPHC's published scope |
| Cockroaches, bed bugs or ants in an expatriate's home | Private company | TAMM terms: nuisance pests for citizens only |
| The same pests in a citizen's house | Either | Listed on TAMM for citizens; private for a chosen time |
| Office, shop, restaurant or warehouse | Private company | TAMM terms exclude commercial and industrial areas |
| Corridors, bin room or shafts of a tower | Building management | Common areas are the building's to treat |
| Streets and landscaping in a gated community | Ask the community management | TAMM terms exclude private developer areas, without explaining the term |
When you need both
The two are not rivals, and some problems need each to do its part. A villa beside open land with rats on it is the clearest case: the land is for the public service, while the animals already in the store room and the gaps they used are for a private visit and some proofing, as described in rats and mice: signs and what rodent control involves. Mosquitoes are similar. Report the breeding site outside, and tip out the plant saucers, buckets and blocked gullies on your own property, because a treatment next door does nothing about water standing on your balcony.
Termites are a separate case. The TAMM terms list them among nuisance pests for citizens, and for everyone else they are specialist private work; the signs and the questions to ask are in termites in Abu Dhabi villas.
How to choose a private company safely
Pest control puts poison into a home, so who does it matters more than for most services. ADPHC states that it issues and renews work permits for public health pest control activities and that commercial providers apply for their licensing through TAMM. Ask any company you are considering which permit it works under and for its trade licence number, and put the same questions to us when you book.
The danger at the other end of the market is real. Abu Dhabi Police has published a warning against unlicensed pesticides used against household insects and rodents (the page is in Arabic and was on its website in October 2026). It describes phosphide products that give off a highly toxic gas on contact with moisture and says there is no suitable antidote. A very cheap treatment offered at the door, with a product nobody will name, is where that risk lies, and a gas does not stay in one flat.
- Ask for a written quote that names the pest, the rooms or areas, the number of visits and the total with VAT.
- Ask which product will be used and where, and ask to see its label. A technician who will not name the product should not be using it in your home.
- Ask how long each room must be left, and what applies to children, pets, birds and fish tanks. The guide to pest control with children and pets at home covers the preparation.
- Refuse any unlabelled tablet, powder or liquid, and anyone who offers to gas a flat.
- Expect an invoice in the company's name and a way to reach it afterwards if activity continues.
The part neither of them can do for you
A public campaign against mosquitoes and a private treatment for cockroaches have the same weakness: both remove the pests that are there, and neither changes why they came. The ADPHC announcement says as much, describing community campaigns on preventive measures as part of its work. In a home that means four things. Leave no standing water, indoors or out. Leave no food out overnight and keep the bin lidded. Keep water in the floor drains and covers on them. Close the gaps under doors and around pipes. A treatment in a home that still offers water, food and a way in will need repeating, whoever carries it out.
How a private visit with us works
This is the order of a pest control booking with IHR, so that you can compare it with the public route above.
- Book online, on the website or in the IHR Dream app. Choose pest control and the size of the property, and pick a day and a time.
- Describe the pest, the rooms and how long you have been seeing it, and reply to the confirmation email with photos.
- We confirm the method and the price before the visit. Where the job has to be seen to be priced, the inspection is free, with no obligation to book afterwards.
- You pay online by card, from My bookings on this website, once the price is agreed.
- On the day the technician inspects, treats, and tells you what was applied, how long to stay out of each room and which signs would mean a follow-up is needed.
Hours, areas and changes
We work every day from 8 AM – 8 PM, and a same-day visit, a Friday or a public holiday carries no extra charge. The districts we cover are listed on the areas we serve page. There is no travel fee in the standard areas; Al Wathba, Al Shahama, Al Rahba and Al Samha carry a flat AED 20 per visit. A visit can be moved or cancelled free of charge up to 6 hours before the start time, and later than that the fee is AED 30.
Common questions
What is the municipality's pest control number in Abu Dhabi?
The official route is not a municipality number. ADPHC's pest control page gives the Government Contact Centre, 800555, with the Department of Health option, or a request on TAMM. Check the page itself on the day you call, in case the route has changed since October 2026.
Is the public pest control service free?
The TAMM page for the home service says, in its own words, 'This service has no additional costs', and lists no required documents. It does not say more than that about charges, so if cost matters to your decision, confirm it when you submit the request.
I am an expatriate tenant. Can I use the public service?
The TAMM page says citizens and residents can request public health pest control in residential areas. Its terms then limit the nuisance-pest service to citizens, limit the service to residential houses and exclude investment establishments and private developer areas. Whether a rented flat or a villa in a managed community qualifies is therefore a question for the contact centre, not something to assume. For cockroaches, bed bugs and ants inside the home, the terms as written point an expatriate household to a private company.
How long does the public service take?
The TAMM page shows a time of 8 working days for the service and does not break that figure down. Ask what to expect when you book the appointment. If the problem is inside the home and cannot wait, a private visit can usually be arranged sooner, and with us often on the same day.
Will the public service treat my office, shop or restaurant?
Not through the home service: its terms exclude commercial and industrial areas. A business books a private company and should keep the written report of each visit. What a food business has to show an inspector is a question for the authority that licenses it.
Someone offered a very cheap treatment at my door. What should I do?
Decline, and do not let them into the home. If you believe unlicensed pesticides are being used in your building, the Government Contact Centre is the place to ask how to report it. If anyone in a recently treated home feels unwell, with vomiting, breathing difficulty or dizziness, leave the home, get into fresh air and seek medical help immediately.
Can I use the public service and a private company together?
Yes, and for pests that come from outside it is often the sensible course. Tell each what the other has done and when, so that two treatments are not applied to the same place within days of each other.
Where to start
If the pest is in a public place, is dangerous, or you are a citizen with a house and no urgency, start with the official channels on the ADPHC page. If it is inside your flat, your villa or your business and you want it dealt with at a set time, start with a private visit.
What ours includes is on the pest control service page. To arrange one, send a booking with the size of the property and a description of what you have seen, and we will confirm the price before anyone is sent.
